Old fella request: Specs for an upgrade

[sawyen]

Alright, Christmas is over and I still have some shillings around after the festive cannibalism..

I'm looking to upgrade my older systems..

Here are my situations, I have in total 4 systems..

1. Core 2 Duo 6600, 975BX2, 2GB and the lot with a 4500 Quadro.. that should stay where it should as the sim server

2. Core 2 Duo 6300, DS3, 2GB and an X1550.. I think that should work out fine as well in the basement

3. A64 4600+ 939, A8N-SLI Premium, 2GB and 8800GT SLI

4. A64 3000+, MSI Neo 2 Plat, 2GB, 6800GT

System 3 and 4 is where I'm looking to fix..

I'm so disconnected from the motherboard world for the past 12 months and I have little to no knowledge over those new Intel chipsets.. P35 and such..

I'm looking to spend 200-250 tops on each system (3 and 4), see whats best to recycle and what to chuck and get new.. I know the board , cpu and mem will have to go but I'm counting on you guys to lead the way..

I was going to look around for those ancient 975 but figured that they're as old as dinosours..

I'm old and skint (alright.. not too skint.. but im a thrifty person).. so best if everyone can try to keep the cost down and unless ABSOLUTELY necc, please do not suggest things like 'IF YOU COULD STRETCH...'

[cougarslam]

If you have the 2 8800gt's then a nvidia chipset based mobo is only option as intel still don't support sli.

[Blitzen]

was going to look around for those ancient 975 but figured that they're as old as dinosours..

Superseeded yes.
I am still using a top end 975x board (AW9D-MAX Wifi) and have no intentions of swapping it out yet. Its still blistering and a far better spec than alot of new boards. I also know that if i bought say a IP-35, my performance would not increase and i would gaet anything else as extras (less in fact). The ONLY thing i may gain is a 1333mhz FSB. Thats no good for me though as as soon as the new Quads are here im going X38 or X48 with one of those.

I wouldnt buy one now though as there is newer stuff around.

I think it was BUFF that said the 975x is still one of the quickest chipsets around. It just wasnt an amazing overclocker.

[staffsMike]

What do you want the PC's to do?

To be honest I would just make PC3 become PC4 selling off the legacy stuff.

Use the £400 - £500 making a new PC 3.

Intel q6600 is around £150
4GB or RAM is about £60
650i SLi board is about £70 / 680i Sli is about £110 - £130 now I think.
keep the GT's of course

so you could do that for as little as £280

Give the old PC 3 (new pc 4) a 3800 X2 939 which are about £30 now I think and a then pick a graphics card you want (assuming the 6800 is AGP which I think i'm right in saying)

£30 - Ati HD2400
£60 - Geforce 8600GT for games or HD2600XT for media
£100 - Ati HD3850pro (my personal choice if you want it for any gaming at highish res without breaking th bank)
£130 - £180 - 8800GT 512mb

[sawyen]

Well, suprised as it seems.. PC3 with the SLI config is actually my gaming system.. I have yet seen the need to upgrade the base system until this year..

I can sort of shift most parts of PC3 into PC4.. and sell off PC3 for I guess maybe 50 quid or something..

But that still comes down to some other questions, why are SLI chipsets for Intel STILL so bloody expensive... I undestand those NF4 days as they're novelty then.. but now?

How different are P35 to say an X38 etc other than crossfire?

[jackvdbuk]

sawyen i have a aw9d max 975x not going to be used when i upgrade this month (going for a newer chipset) , PM me if your interested, as blitz said, there still very good chipsets to have.

[sawyen]

I might just PM you later.. But I do have this issue with the aw9d board where the 2nd PCI-E slot covers the single ONLY PCI lane available for my X-Fi..

Will have to decide and basically be dependent on the price you're offering as well..

Back on the topic, can someone tell me whats the big diff between P35 and X38/48 chipsets other than the crossfire?

How are those 650 SLI chipsets? are they any good?

[BUFF]

Back on the topic, can someone tell me whats the big diff between P35 and X38/48 chipsets other than the crossfire?

the 2nd X16 electrical slot for Crossfire & both are PCI-E 2.0.
In other words not a lot as nothing needs PCI-E 2.0 yet.

How are those 650 SLI chipsets? are they any good?

tbh they aren't great - their 2 selling points are SLI & 2 IDE channels for people with lots of IDE devices.
750i SLI will be out shortly.

[sawyen]

Cheers BUFF, I knew I can always count on a few guys here..

Suddenly all those new chipsets aren't so compelling now after giving the specs a good read over at Intel..

1. DDR3 feels like a fashionable upgrade with little improvement
2. PCI-E 2 is not needed.. well my 8800GTs work fine on my aging NF4-SLI
3. 1333MHz FSB is again a fashionable upgrade with little to no improvement..

The only thing I am now worried about is upgrade path, how does say a 975X chipset handles a 1333MHz chip.. I know the LGA775 is the samey socket since toaster 4 but what will the chip do then? the multi is locked.. and if it runs 1066MHz with the 975X legendary inability to overclock.. there goes my clockspeed..

[iranu]

I'd wait for the new E8*00 chips to come out, pair one with 4GB ram and an Sli 775 mobo and you'll be laughing. I'm still waiting for new chips and mobos to come out before replacing my rig because I'm not sure whether I'll ever need sli for 1680x1050 res.

[BUFF]

The only thing I am now worried about is upgrade path, how does say a 975X chipset handles a 1333MHz chip.. I know the LGA775 is the samey socket since toaster 4 but what will the chip do then? the multi is locked.. and if it runs 1066MHz with the 975X legendary inability to overclock.. there goes my clockspeed..

the AW9D will run current 1333 MHz chips & 975X probably still is the fastes chipset clock for clock - just won't hit as high clocks ...
It's not a good overclocker for quads & I don't know about Penryns.

P35 based mobos are relatively inexpensive, will run Penryns & at least on DDR2 perform as well as X38 (minus the dual x16 Cf).
The IP35 on SCAN's Today Only at £65 is a bargain.
Then you'll need some DDR2 RAM - say £40 for 2GB of decent stuff although you can go cheaper.
& of course a CPU/HSF.

[sawyen]

.. oh you are terrible BUFF... all is becoming clearer now.. and so is my impulse to order..

Must make right choice.. must make right choice..

So say an IP35 for £65
A Q6600 for £150
I already have a HSF..
2GB jobby for £40

woohoo.. nicely under £250..

but AHH... can I go lower?

[BUFF]

do you really need a quad?
do you need virtualisation?

& remember, the IP35 will jump up about £12 when Today Only changes ...

[sawyen]

Quad.. probably not.. its just fashionable and does help in certain areas..

Virtualisation, well.. hit and miss really.. it will benefit with it when my sims server is fully loaded and cannot handle more request for Phenyx.. or else.. probably not..

So whats the dead on must get core 2 duo then? those newer 8xxx seems to be the one to get.. perhaps I shud wait..

[Blitzen]

the AW9D will run current 1333 MHz chips & 975X probably still is the fastes chipset clock for clock - just won't hit as high clocks ...
It's not a good overclocker for quads & I don't know about Penryns.

It wont run the new Quads that are imminent though will it? (they are going to be 1333mhz aswell)
What about the newer E8*** series C2D's?

Its all very confusing.

[iranu]

The E8400 looks like it will be the best bang for buck at @£100 with a nice 9x multiplier. 4Ghz is already being hit with air cooling. Again you'll have to check with the mobo manufacturers to see whether they are compatible (C2D should be). I suspect there will be some bios updates available when these chips are launched.

It is confusing. I did see a neat table that listed all the various Intel cpu's with specs etc but can't remember where.

Reviews here X-bit labs - Meet Intel Wolfdale: Core 2 Duo E8500, E8400 and E8200 Processors Review

Edit: Found this with regard to 45nm motherboard support. It's not complete but better than nothing AnandTech: Motherboard Compatibility for Wolfdale and Yorkfield Processors